Archaeology Terms
Deer Hunting – Tainter Cave
Deer hunting is nothing new! Deer have long been a staple resource for Indigenous peoples living in the Upper Midwest, providing not only food but also hides, sinews, and bones and antler used for making a variety of tools. Deer bones and antler pieces are common at archaeological sites in the region, and many are fragmented and show cut marks from processing. Others have wear, polish, or other indications of modification and use as tools. It's rare, however, to see actual depictions of deer hunting long ago. These rock art panels at Tainter cave in southwestern Wisconsin show deer, like the running does on the left, as well as bow hunters like the one on the right. These figures were in the “dark zone” of the cave, out of the reach of daylight.